Apps and gaming

First up: apps. 2018 was the Year of Self-Care, according to Apple (and also reflected in Google’s list of the best Play Store apps of the year). Apple picked apps like Fabulous, Shine, 10% Happier and Headspace for its best of 2018 list. Given everything happening in the world, this isn’t too surprising.

Top apps for all platforms included the artsy & creative Procreate Pocket on iPhone, the educational AR app Froggipedia on iPad, image editing software Pixelmater Pro on Mac, and the fitness app Sweat on Apple TV.

The big trend in gaming? You guessed it: Battle Royale. But, apart from everyone and their mother playing Fortnite, the top gaming apps per device were quiet, lovely little puzzle experiences.

Apple picked the oddball puzzle game Donut County for iPhone, the gorgeous Gorogoa for iPad, The Gardens Between for Mac and the mesmerizing and meditative Alto’s Odyssey for Apple TV.

Music and media

Apple’s editorial wisdom has deemed Drake artist of the year, with Juice WRLD coming in as its top breakout artist with his debut album “Goodbye & Good Riddance” released back in May. “I Like It” by Cardi B feat. Bad Bunny & J. Balvin took song of the year, while Apple gave country artist Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” album of the year.

Apple’s roundup of Best Podcasts had a few old favorites (“This American Life,” “Serial,” “99% Invisible”) along with several new ones following a trend of deep-dives into journalistic and historical subjects (“Caliphate,” “Slow Burn,” “Dr. Death”). They even picked Marvel’s first fiction podcast, “Wolverine: The Long Night.”

Apple named several cultural breakthrough movies to its list of best films like Annihilation, Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians. It also had genre innovators like Hereditary and Eighth Grade, as well as the heartwarming/tearjerking Mr. Rogers semi-biopic, Won’t You Be My Neighbor.

Apple’s best shows included a mix of traditional cable and streaming series, like the always-great The Americans, Atlanta, The Expanse and The Good Place. It included shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (on Hulu and Amazon Prime, respectively) that will soon be competing with Apple’s own still-in-development streaming service.

Books, books, books

Apple picked out a title for each genre in its best of 2018 list – and then did it again for audiobooks. Here are those lists in full:

Best Books of the Year

Book of the Year: American Marriage

Best Nonfiction: The Library Book

Best Mystery: The Witch Elm

Best Thriller: Light It Up

Best Bio/Memoir: Educated

Best Romance: Too Wilde to Wed

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy: Spinning Silver

Best Feel-Good Fiction: When Life Gives You Lululemons

Best Literary Fiction: There There

Best Young Reader Book: Harbor Me

Best Audiobooks of the Year

Audiobook of the Year: American Marriage

Best Nonfiction: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Best Mystery: Something in the Water

Best Thriller: Long Road to Mercy

Best Bio/Memoir: Becoming

Best Business Audiobook: Dare to Lead

Best Health, Mind, Body: Girl, Wash Your Face

Best Family Audiobook: Rebound

Best Humor: Calypso

Best Historical Fiction: The Great Alone

Okay, so it wasn't completely a popularity contest with the most-downloaded apps and media – otherwise, they'd just be handing out awards to the usual suspects (YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger front the top apps list). But in its place, Apple has given us a list of somewhat-predictable movers and shakers.

But if you missed any of the above, now's the time to jump in – before we get a whole new slew in 2019.